KDHE Enters Consent Agreement With Cornejo and Sons

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has entered into a consent agreement with Cornejo & Sons C&D Landfill in Wichita that will require the company to take all necessary measures to ensure that their operations do not impact the Arkansas River.

The agreement requires the company to pay a total of $7,500 in civil penalties for the violations, which include among others, failure to distribute waste evenly on the working face of the landfill; failure to compact waste densely enough; failure to apply adequate cover; and failure to notify KDHE of a newly excavated disposal cell and to submit design plans for the new cell. The company had corrected all violations pertaining to their operations as of late August per this agreement. The agreement also requires submittal of a Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) report to ensure that all modifications were made according to KDHE approved design plans. This report is due to KDHE by September 11, 2007.

KDHE has agreed not to prosecute Cornejo and Sons administratively or in civil court for the violations, but reserves the right to consider the violations in assessing any future penalties.

Note to editor/reporter: For a copy of the Consent Agreement and Final Order, please email jblubaugh@kdheks.gov with a request for the document and include your fax number.